SILICON VALLEY LUNCHEON: Wish you knew the biggest mistakes people make when buying jewelry and how to avoid them? Find out how with Mary Bechmann '79, GIA-certified Graduate Gemologist.

Do you freeze up when it's time to purchase a gift of jewelry for your partner? Wish you knew the biggest mistakes people make when buying jewelry and how to avoid them? Are you sick of wandering aimlessly into a jewelry store and handing over your hard-earned cash for a bauble that you have no idea about?

Mary Bechmann '79 became a GIA-certified Graduate Gemologist after a long career in venture capital. She brings an MBA perspective to the minefield of purchasing both new and estate (pre-owned) jewelry and has developed a process for determining how, what, and where to buy jewelry that fits with your lifestyle and showcases your individual style. Having studied at Christie's and Sotheby's as well as being a lifelong collector of antique and period jewelry, she's well-versed in how to go about building a jewelry wardrobe of great pieces. Her talk will cover how to buy smart and purchase versatile jewelry that will actually be worn and treasured -- jewelry that works.